When cleaning and sanitizing, there needs to be a surface to put stuff on. Are paper towels sanitary? Thinking about the manufacturing process and the fact they are sealed in plastic makes me think they are probably sanitary.
I use them all the time and never a problem. I lay my sterilized hydrometer/wine thief on them.
To take it a step further, I use a couple of clean paper towels in a stainless steel strainer to filter wine from the last couple of bottles when I put it in a decanter. Gets almost all the fines out that way.
I use the paper towel that comes in a box thats made to be put on your towel rack. There inclosed in the box till you need one, then just pull on out at a time.
I use them and generally spray them with StarSan, sometimes not for measuring spoons. I have been in the plants that make them and there is a lot of airborne fuzz/lint. They also use a food-grade lube on the slitter knives that cut the 2000 lb 7-foot roll down to paper towel size on the unwind/rewind machine.